MILAN – It seems to be the plot of a science fiction movie, but it is 100% real. We can expect ten years of threats posed by climate change, most of which are due to human activities. This conclusion was reached by leading experts, who have published a study in Nature Climate Change to shed light on the future awaiting us.
A broader perspective
The prospect addressed by scientists is far more extensive than the ‘usual’ 21st century reports on climate change and considers a post-2100 scenario. This wide reaching analysis confirms that the alarms regarding the overheating of the Planet, scarcity of water and waste of resources are far more alarming than they had been thought to be. Scientists predict 4 possible levels of pollution from carbon dioxide of between 1,300 and 5,100 billion tonnes released between 2000 and 2300. Considering that we produce about ten billion tonnes per year and that we have already released into the atmosphere 580 billion tonnes of CO2, the scenarios predicted are disturbing.
The rising level of the sea
The relentless rise in the sea level is of great concern and is destined to continue for hundreds of years even if carbon dioxide emissions fall to zero. The estimate – confirmed last August by NASA – is 90 centimetres in the next millennia, a figure that could reach 25 metres if global warming were to produce a further increase of 2° in the Earth’s temperature. Why should we worry about such a remote future? This is a question that many of us could ask but the answer concerns the risk that future generations run if concrete measures are not taken today to limit environmental impact.
by Alessandro Michielli
